It's Rayman! What else is there to say?

User Rating: 7.5 | Rayman DS DS
I'm a fan of Rayman, and when I saw this game only got a 6.0 on Gamespot, I was shocked. So I skimmed through the few player reviews that gave this game a 7 and higher. They seemed to like it pretty good. So I went with my gut, and bought this game the other day for 14.99, not bad since it's regular price was 19.99.
When I started playing the game, the first thing that popped out at me were the graphics. The horrible pixelated background graphics. When a movie scene was going on, I just couldn't keep my eyes off of the pixels in the clouds. It's like I could count them, literally. But after I got into the game, the pixels weren't that noticeable. And they kind of grow on you, too.
One thing that got me were the controls. You can either move Rayman with the D-pad, or there's a D-pad like diagram on the touchpad, and you're either suppose to use your thumb to control it, or the stylus. I haven't figured that out yet, because both ways are EXTREMELY uncomfortable to me, and since I'm right handed, there's no way I can use my right hand to control him, and my left to make him jump and shoot. Just impossible. So I decided to stick with the D-pad to control Rayman. However, there is a downside. Using the D-pad makes Rayman walk really funny, and kind of slowly too. But using the Touchscreen D-pad, you can make him run as fast as you want. When I first tried using that touchscreen d-pad, I always found myself running off cliffs or into walls. Definitely not fun. You'll have to be really skilled to use the touchscreen D-pad.
I found the gameplay to be really fun. Sure, the camera angles are a little screwy, but I learned to ignore them and just enjoy. You could just be standing there scratching your nose for a second, and the next thing you know, the camera is going all haywire on you, moving around like a crazy cat. But besides that, Rayman can run, swim, jump, shoot fireballs, punch, climb, and even use his hair to helicopter. The obstacles can be pretty difficult too, so you spend a little bit of time trying to get through them. This game is a pretty fun game. I would love to give it a higher rating, but because of the few flaws it has, I can only give it a 7.5. But this game is definitely worth playing, whether you're a fan of the series or not. A great 3D platformer fun for anyone.